Device and methods of inspecting soldered connections

ABSTRACT

A device for inspecting solder connections between a component and a substrate or between two components or substrates, wherein the component is disposed upon the surface of the substrate, the device including an image receiving unit. An image transmitting device, the image transmitting device including a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the image receiving unit. A tip assembly removably coupled to the second end of the image transmitting device, the tip assembly further including a mirror and an image receiving aperture, the tip assembly configured to transmit an image of the solder connections received by the mirror, through the image transmitting device, to the image receiving unit, and an illumination device, the illumination device including a light source, at least one light transmitting device, and at least one light emitting aperture disposed adjacent the image receiving aperture, the light emitting aperture directed towards the solder connections to be inspected.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to devices and methods for inspectingsoldered connections, more particularly the device of the presentinvention allows for visually inspecting concealed soldered connectionssuch as those utilized to attach an integrated circuit to a printedcircuit board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the advances in technology related to integrated circuits (ICs) andin particular to surface mount IC's and more particular to ball gridarrays (BGAs) and chip scale packages (CSPS) and flip chips (FCs) inaddition to the density of ICs utilized in electronics devices it hasbecome increasingly difficult to visually inspect the integrity of thesoldered connection between the chip leads and the solder pads on aprinted circuit board. In addition, the number of soldered connectionsper chip has increased while inversely the size of the chip hasdecreased. While some surface mounted ICs have soldered connectionswhich can be visually inspected because the chip leads project from theedge of the IC, the above-referenced chips cannot be visually inspectedwithout an inspection device because the chip leads projectperpendicular to the surface of the IC, and therefore the solderedconnections are hidden by the IC.

One method to test the integrity of a soldered connection is that shownin U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,346 Hirofumi et al. wherein a plurality of testlands are disposed upon the circuit board which are connected to solderpads to which a BGA package is to be soldered to in which the continuitybetween the pins on the BGA can be confirmed. While this inspectionmethod may disclose an open connection it cannot distinguish if there isa ‘bridged-connection’ that is where a ball of solder connects more thanone pin. A bridged connection may lead to component failure when poweris applied to the IC, therefore it is desirable to determine if bridgedconnections exist. Additionally, the testing method of Hirofumi et al.does not disclose the quality of the soldered connections, that iswhether the solder was not heated to a high enough temperature.Therefore, the expected lifetime of the soldered connection cannot beestimated which may lead to more product failure after sales.

Another method to check soldered connections for the above-referencedIC's is through the use of x-rays. With x-ray inspection, it can bedetermined whether there are open connections, bridged connections andif the BGA was properly aligned with the solder pads of the printedcircuit board. It is not possible to determine the quality of thesoldered joint, as described above. In addition, it cannot be determinedif excess flux residue remains within the soldered connections. Stillfurther, the use of x-ray inspection requires dedicated equipment inaddition to requiring protection from radiation exposure from the x-raytesting device. Lastly, x-ray inspection units require a skilledoperator to utilize the device, thereby leading to complexity as well ascosts to the overall product.

Still yet another method of inspection that is known is the productionof a micrograph in cross-section through a soldered connection. Thisrequires destructive testing, wherein a circuit board is taken from theassembly line and a cut is made passing through the IC to visuallyinspect the soldered connection. Though, this method will only producean estimate of the actual soldered connections and requires thatconclusions must be drawn as to the operating parameters of thesoldering process.

Another known process of inspecting soldered connections is through theuse of devices which can transmit images from one location to another,such devices include endoscopes and borescopes. These devices generallyhave a cylindrical profile and include a plurality of lenses disposedtherein for the transmission of an image therethrough. A shortcoming ofthese devices is that at one end of the device there is disposed a lightsource adjacent to an image collection device. The light source isutilized to illuminate the area adjacent to the image collection devicewherein an image is then reflected into the endoscope and transmitted tothe opposite end. The clarity of the transmitted image may be diluteddue to excess light emitted and/or reflected from the light source whichis transmitted through the device.

Referring now to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0024273Cannon, there is disclosed yet another device for the inspection ofsoldered connections. In particular, the inspection device shown anddescribed in the above-referenced patent application can be utilized tovisually inspect soldered connections of BGA, CSPS, and FCs. The deviceincludes an ocular unit, a lens head, and image transmission unit fortransmitting the image receive by the lens head to the ocular unit andan illuminating device. As shown and described in Cannon the devicetherein may be utilized by placing the lens head adjacent to a BGA to beinspected. An illumination source illuminates the soldered connectionswhile a second illumination source is utilized to backlight the solderedconnections. A prism assembly disposed within the lens head receives areflected image of the soldered connections, the reflected image istransmitted through an image transmission unit and into a camera. Anaperture is disposed between the transmission unit and the camera tocontrol the image received by the camera. A shortcoming of the device ofCannon is that the image reflected through the image transmission unitcontains “interference” which leads to the degradation of the image. Theterm “interference” refers to the excess reflected light which will betransmitted through the image transmission unit. This excess light willcombine with the image to be view, wherein the final combination of theimage to be viewed and the interference will then be filtered by theaperture disposed adjacent the camera. An additional shortcoming of thedevice of Cannon is that the field of view of the lens head is to narrowto visually inspect both the upper solder connections as well as thelower solder connections, in order to visually inspect both, the lenshead must be moved away from the soldered connections to provided agreater field of view, though at the cost of clarity of the image. Afurther shortcoming of the Cannon device is that a prism is utilized toreflect the image of the soldered connections, it is well known thatprisms tend to be brittle and therefore require protection. For example,as shown in Cannon the prism is protected by webs, these webs extendbeyond the edge of the prism, therefore the leading edge of the prismcannot be lowered such that the prism contacts the circuit board becauseof the protection webs. Lastly, prisms are very expensive thereforeincreasing the overall cost of the inspection device, as well asrequiring specially trained technicians for repairs and/or servicing ofthe prism assembly.

Therefore there is a need for a device and methods of use which willenable the visual inspection of soldered connections, wherein the deviceprovides a clear image of both the upper and lower connection withouthaving to readjust the focal length of the device. Additionally, thereis a need for an optical inspection device that eliminates interferencewithin the transmitted image, thereby providing a better image of thesoldered connection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device forinspecting solder connections between a component and a substrate orbetween two components or substrates, the device includes an imagereceiving unit, an image transmitting device, including a first end anda second end, the first end coupled to the image receiving unit. A tipassembly removably coupled to the second end of the image transmittingdevice, the tip assembly further including a reflective device and animage receiving aperture, the tip assembly configured to transmit animage of the solder connections received by the reflective device,through the image transmitting device, to the image receiving unit, andan illumination device, including a light source, at least one lighttransmitting device, and at least one light emitting aperture disposedadjacent the image receiving aperture, the light emitting aperturedirected towards the solder connections to be inspected.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device foroptically inspecting soldered connections, the device including, acamera, and an image transmitting device. The image transmitting deviceincluding a generally circular cross-sectional profile first end and asecond end and a bore extending therethrough, the first end coupled tothe camera, and a at least one image transmitting lens disposed withinthe bore. A tip assembly removably coupled to the second end of thetransmitting device. The tip assembly further including a mirror and animage receiving aperture disposed adjacent to the mirror, the imagereceiving aperture and the mirror configured to receive and transmit animage the soldered connections to the camera through the imagetransmitting device, and at least one illumination device, theillumination device comprising a light source, a device for transmittinglight from the light source to a light transmitting aperture disposedwithin the tip assembly, the light transmitting aperture disposedadjacent to the image receiving aperture.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method ofinspecting soldered connections between an IC and a circuit board, themethod including the steps of disposing a circuit board having at leastone IC soldered thereto on a work surface of an inspection device.Aligning a tip of the inspection device with a row of solderedconnections to be inspected. Using an optical inspection device to viewthe soldered connections between the IC and the circuit board, theoptical inspection device including a camera, an image transmittingdevice comprising a generally cylindrical member having a first andsecond end the first end coupled to said camera, and a removable tipassembly coupled to the second end of the image transmitting device, theremovable tip assembly including a main body housing at least one lighttransmitting aperture and a reflective device and an image receivingaperture disposed adjacent to the light transmitting aperture, the lighttransmitting aperture and image receiving aperture directed toward thesoldered connections to be inspected, the reflective device adapted toreceive and transmit and image of the soldered connections to thecamera. Illuminating the soldered connections to be inspected, andvisually examining the soldered connections between the IC and thecircuit board by pivoting the camera, image transmitting device, and tipassembly about an optical centerline of the reflective device to viewthe upper or lower solder connections and rotating the camera, imagetransmitting device, and the tip assembly through about 90 degrees toview the sides of the soldered connections. Moving the IC relative tothe tip assembly to visually inspect other soldered connections betweenthe IC and the circuit board, and visually inspecting the gaps formedbetween the soldered connections for optical clarity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein like numbers have be utilized to denote thesame or similar parts:

FIG. 1. is a perspective view of the inspection device according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2. is a front view of the optical inspection unit of the inspectiondevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3. is a back view of the optical inspection unit of the inspectiondevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionillustrating the pivoting mechanism in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 4. is an isometric view of the tip assembly in accordance to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5. is a partial side view of the tip assembly and tip assemblyholder in accordance to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 6. is an isometric view of the tip assembly illustrating the mirrordisposed within the tip assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention comprises a test device for inspecting solderconnections between a substrate and an integrated circuit. The testdevice includes a base assembly and an optical inspection unit connectedto the base. The base further including a substantially horizontal workarea wherein a component to be inspected in placed. The opticalinspection unit may be moved vertically and rotatable with respect tothe work area.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown the testing device 10 inaccordance with the present invention. The testing device 10 includes abase assembly 20, and an optical inspection unit 100. The base assembly20 further comprises a horizontal work surface 30, wherein thehorizontal work surface 30 can be moved in both a vertical andhorizontal plane relative to the optical inspection unit 100.

The work surface 30 may be displaced by rotating the knobs 31 and 32,the knobs 31 and 32 being operatively coupled to the work surface 30utilizing known mechanical means. Alternatively, the work surface 30 maybe coupled to an electrical drive system, wherein the knobs 31 and 32control electrical switches which power drive motors coupled to the worksurface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the base assembly 20 further includes a verticalmember 15 fixedly attached thereto and protruding perpendicular to thework surface 30. The vertical member 15 is further configured to receivearm 18, wherein arm 18 may be coupled to vertical member 15 through agear drive assembly, the gear drive assembly controlled by knobs 17whereby the knobs 17 may be utilized to control the height of the arm 18relative to the work surface 30. It shall be understood that the use ofa gear driven assembly to control the height of arm 18 is merelyexemplary and should not be considered limiting in any manner. It iscontemplated that many different mechanical, electromechanical,electrical, and hydraulic systems may be utilized to control the heightof arm 18 relative to the work surface 30. Additionally, the controlmeans 17 may further include a locking means, thereby enabling a user tofix the height of the arm 18 relative to the work surface 30.

The arm 18 further includes receiving means adapted to receive anoptical inspection unit 100 as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, as shown,the testing device 10 may further include a second illumination device40 configured to provide additional illumination to the solderedconnections to be viewed. The second illumination device includes a tip41, a flexible shaft 44, and a device for transmitting light 45. Thedevice for transmitting light may include at least one LED disposedwithin the tip 41. Preferably, the device for transmitting lightcomprises a light pipe or fiber optic device, wherein one end isconnected to a light source and the other end is configured to emitlight from the tip 41, the tip 41 may further include a prism or mirrorto reflect light in a desired direction. The light source may be thesame source for use with the illumination device disposed within the tipassembly as will be described in detail below, or it may be a secondsource. Additionally, the second illumination device is configured to bemoved independently of the movement of the inspection unit 100, therebyenabling a user to place the second illumination device at any desiredposition and height.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of theoptical inspection unit 100 in accordance with the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 2, the optical inspection unit 100 comprises a couplingdevice 101, a rotating assembly 200, a focusing assembly 162, an imagetransmitting device 160 and a tip assembly 150.

The coupling device 101 is adapted to be received with the frame 18wherein the coupling device retains the optical inspection unit 100within the frame 18. The coupling may be fixedly received within the arm18 or alternatively the coupling 101 may be rotatably received withinthe arm 18, thereby allowing the optical inspection unit 100 to berotated relative to the arm 18 and the work surface 30.

The rotating assembly 200 includes the rotating knob 102 and a geardrive unit (not shown) and a pivot plate 111 as shown in FIG. 3. Thepivot plate 111 further includes a groove 112 and a pin 115 disposedwithin the groove. Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, it can be seenthat rotating knob 102 projects from a groove formed within arm 18.Displacing the rotating knob 102 within the groove acts upon a geardrive assembly coupled to the camera, the focusing unit, the imagetransmitting device 160, and the tip assembly 150, thereby rotating theassembly clockwise and counterclockwise relative to an axisperpendicular to the work surface 30. In addition to the above, theoptical inspection unit 100 may further be pivoted about the opticalcenterline of the reflective device disposed within the tip assembly.The optical inspection unit may be pivoted by rotating the rotating knob102 clockwise or counter clockwise. The pivoting assembly can be betterunderstood with reference to FIG. 3, where there is shown the pivotplate 111, the pivot plate including a groove 112 disposed therein and apin 115 disposed within the groove 112. In use, the pivot plate 111 isfixedly attached to the coupling device 101 which is attached to the arm18, thus allowing the optical inspection unit to pivot relative to thevertical support member 15. By pivoting the optical inspection unit 100about the optical centerline of the reflective device disposed withinthe tip assembly allows for the inspection of both the top solderedconnections as well as the bottom soldered connections without having tochange the focal length of the reflective device relative to thesoldered connections. The optical inspection unit pivots through onangle of P, the angle P can be between about 0 and about 180 degrees,preferably between about 0 and about 45 degrees, more preferably betweenabout 0 and about 10 degrees, and most preferably between about 0 andabout 5 degrees. It shall be understood that the assembly maybe pivotedabout either side of an axis perpendicular to the work surface 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the optical inspection unit 100 includes afocusing device 162. The focusing device is operatively coupled to thecamera 200 and the image transmission unit 160, wherein the focusingdevice 162 may further include a plurality of lenses, whereby the focallength of the lens may be adjusted by rotating the focusing assembly.Additionally, the focusing assembly may be utilized to adjust thesharpness of the image. It shall be understood that the focusingassembly as described herein and as utilized within the presentinvention does not include an aperture. The camera 200 may be aconventional film camera, more preferably the camera 200 is a digitalcamera such as a CCD camera or similar electronic cameras which providea video output that may be displayed on a conventional display such as acathode ray tube CRT device or a liquid crystal display LCD device.

Referring now FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown an exemplary embodiment ofthe image transmission unit 160 in accordance with the presentinvention. The image transmission unit 160 comprises a generallycylindrical body having a first end and a second end, the first endbeing coupled to the focusing assembly 162, the second end being adaptedto receive the tip assembly 150. The image transmission unit 160 mayfurther include a plurality of lenses disposed therein. The generallycylindrical body may be constructed of a rigid material or of a flexiblematerial. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a plurality of lighttransmitting elements 173 may be disposed upon the image transmissionunit. The light transmitting elements may be fiber optic bundles,polished hollow cylindrical tubes, or other devices which may beutilized to transmit light. In a preferred embodiment the lighttransmitting elements are fiber optics which may comprise one or moreelements. The light transmitting devices include a first end and asecond end, the first end coupled to a light source (not shown) and thesecond end configured to be received within the tip assembly 150. Thelight source may comprise a conventional monofilament bulb, morepreferably the light source is a metal halide lamp. Alternatively, it iscontemplated that other sources of illumination may be utilized. In analternative embodiment (not shown) it is contemplated that lightemitting diodes (LED) may be disposed within the tip assembly 150thereby eliminating the need for the light transmitting elements,wherein the light transmitting elements would be replaced with powercords for powering the LED's installed in the tip assembly.

Referring not to FIG. 4 there is shown a exemplary embodiment of the tipassembly 150 in accordance with the present invention. The tip assembly150 includes a main body 159, at least one light transmitting aperture155, a mirror, prism or similar reflective device, and an imagereceiving aperture 156 formed within the housing, wherein the imagereceiving aperture 156 is formed having a pre-determined diameter whichhas been chosen to improve the quality of the image to be received bythe camera. This is unlike conventional inspection devices wherein theaperture is placed adjacent to the camera assembly, by placing theaperture of the camera assembly before the reflective device reduces theamount of light pollution transmitted to the camera for magnification.

The main housing 159 may be formed of metal or plastic or anycombination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the main housing 159 isformed of plastic. The main housing 159 may be formed of multiple pieceswhich are assembled together, or alternatively, the main housing may beformed of a unitary body wherein the mirror or reflective element is hasbeen molded therein.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the reflective device 154is disposed within the lower portion of the main housing 159 such thatlight transmitted through the apertures 153 will be reflected by thereflective device in the direction of the soldered connections to beviewed. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the imagereceiving aperture 156 is disposed between the soldered connections tobe viewed and the reflective device 154. By placing the image receivingaperture 156 between the soldered connection to be viewed and thereflective device 154 a sharper and clearer image is transmitted to thecamera assembly for magnification as described in detail in anothersection of the current application.

Referring now to FIG. 4 it can be seen that the main body 159 furtherincludes a reduced thickness region 157 as shown. The reduced thicknessregion 157 enables the tip assembly to be constructed having a lowerprofile, and therefore require less room between IC's installed on acircuit board. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the leading edge of thereflective device can be placed very near to the lower edge of thereduced thickness region 157, thereby enabling the reflective device tobe placed closer to the work surface 30 or closer to a circuit board,thereby enabling lower profile assemblies to be inspected.

The main housing 159 further includes at least one light emittingaperture 155 formed therein, wherein the light emitting aperture isconfigured to utilize the reflective device to reflect light in thedirection of the soldered connections to be viewed. In a preferredembodiment, the main housing includes two separate light emittingapertures 155 as shown in FIG. 4. The benefit of utilizing two separatelight emitting apertures will become apparent following the discussionbelow regarding the image receiving aperture 156.

As described above, the tip assembly includes a image receiving aperture156 disposed adjacent the distal end of the reduced thickness section157. The image receiving aperture 156 is operatively coupled to themirror and the image transmission aperture 158 formed within the mainbody 159 of the tip assembly. The image receiving aperture 156 replacesa conventional (camera) aperture which may be disposed within the lensassembly of the camera or within the camera body. Forming the imagereceiving aperture 156 into the tip assembly provides many benefits overconventional style inspection devices wherein the aperture is disposedadjacent the camera. A primary benefit that is provided, is that theimage receiving aperture 156 acts as a filter to block excess light fromthe light source(s) from being transmitted to the camera.

In a conventional inspection device, because the aperture is mountedadjacent the camera, the reflected image as well as excess light fromillumination sources is transmitted to the camera assembly, the excesslight causes interference in the image quality and degrades the overallimage. This degradation of the image means that either post-processingof the image must occur in order to clarify the image, or alternativelyexcessive magnification must be utilized to provide a clear image.Therefore, as described above the image receiving aperture 156 filtersexcessive light from the image to be viewed. Unlike a conventionaloptical aperture disposed within a camera lens or camera body, the imagereceiving aperture according to the present invention is formed having apre-determined diameter, that is the image receiving aperture 156 isnon-adjustable, unlike conventional photographic apertures. Though it iscontemplated that an adjustable aperture could be fabricated wherein thetip assembly further includes a removable portion, wherein the removableportion includes the image receiving aperture, therefore to adjust theaperture size, removable portions could be substituted. Alternatively,the image receiving aperture 156 could be fabricated to comprise aconventional mechanical aperture.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a cross-sectional side view ofthe tip assembly according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6,the tip assembly 150, reflective device 154 is disposed within thereduced thickness section 157. As shown, the image receiving aperture156 is disposed optically in front of the reflective device 154.

In addition to the advantages described above by placing the aperture onthe tip assembly in the manner shown and described allows the use of aimage transmitting unit 160 to extend the distance between the tipassembly and the camera assembly. This is not possible with otherinspection devices that utilize a reflected image and an aperturemounted on a camera because the image degradation is to great over largedistances as well as the increase in noise introduced to the image asdescribed above.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown the tip assembly 150 and the tipcarrier 169. The tip carrier comprises a main body 170 disposed upon thefirst end of the image transmitting unit 160. The main body 170 of thetip carrier is configured to receive the light transmitting devices 173disposed upon the image transmitting unit 160. Still further, the mainbody is further adapted to removably receive the tip assembly 150 asshown. Referring now to FIG. 4 it can be seen that the main body 150 ofthe tip assembly 150 is adapted to slidably receive the lighttransmitting devices within channels 153 formed in the main body.Additionally, as shown the channels 153 are separated from the imagetransmission aperture, thereby forming an enclosed optical path betweenthe image transmitting aperture and the image receiving aperture 156.

It is contemplated that different tip assemblies could be fabricatedwhich can be disposed within the tip carrier 169. That is tip assemblieshaving larger or smaller apertures to control the quality and/or size ofthe image. In addition, during an inspection process the tip may contactthe integrated circuit being inspected. If this were to happen, manytimes the tip is damaged or destroyed, in a conventional inspectiondevice this would require a skilled technician to perform service on thedevice. The present invention allows for anyone to easily replace thetip without requiring complex service steps. That is, the damaged tipcould be removed from the first end of the image transmission device,discarded and then a new tip couple be slid and locked into place. Thisprovides the benefit of not requiring a service call, and furtherreduces the down time of the inspection device due to repairs. Anotherimprovement of the present invention over conventional inspectiondevices is that if the mirror disposed within the tip assembly becomesdirty due to contamination or for any other reason it may be easily andinexpensively replaced.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-6 the use of the inspection device according tothe present invention will be described. In use, a circuit boardcontaining at least one IC having been soldered thereto is placed withinthe work surface 30. The inspection device 100 is moved into positionsuch that the image receiving aperture 156 is disposed to view thesoldered connections of the IC. It is contemplated that the work surface30 may be moved relative to the inspection device 100 or the circuitboard may be moved or further still the inspection device 100 may bemoved or any combination of the above may be moved. After the imagereceiving aperture 156 is disposed within a position to view thesoldered connections an image is displayed on a display device (notshown) such as a monitor, LCD panel, television, or similar devices.After, viewing the soldered connections, the rotating knob may berotated clockwise or counterclockwise to pivot the inspection device100. By pivoting the inspection device this will allow the imagereceiving aperture to receive an image of either the top solderedconnections or the bottom soldered connections without requiring theinspection unit to be moved relative to the IC to be inspected, unlikeconventional inspection devices which must be moved away from the IC inorder to expand the field of view which results in a loss of imageclarity. After the upper and lower soldered connections have beenviewed, the rotating knob may be rotated within the groove disposed inthe arm 18, thereby directing the image receiving aperture 156 to viewother rows of soldered connections or to view the soldered connectionsat a different angle. Throughout the procedure described above, light isemitted from the apertures 155 of the tip assembly to illuminate thesoldered connections to be viewed. Additionally, the second illuminationdevice may be disposed on the side opposite to the tip assembly toprovide backlighting of the soldered connections, or in any otherposition to provided desired lighting. As shown in FIG. 1, the secondillumination source, in a preferred embodiment, may be movedindependently relative to the tip assembly 150, though it iscontemplated that the second light source may be coupled to the movementof the imaging device 100 such that less user intervention is needed toprovide the necessary lighting. By providing a second illuminationdevice which may be moved independent of the imaging device 100 allowsthe inspection device 10 according to the present invention to beutilized to inspect ICs that may have heat sinks or similar devicescoupled thereto because the inspection device 100 and the secondillumination device 40 may be moved independently about the IC to beinspected.

It shall be understood that the examples described herein and shown inthe appended figures are exemplary and should not be considered limitingin any manner. It is contemplated that one skilled in the art mayundertake modifications to the present invention without deviating fromthe scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for inspecting solder connectionsbetween a component and a substrate or between two components orsubstrates, the device comprising: an image receiving unit; an imagetransmitting device, including a first end and a second end, the firstend coupled to said image receiving unit; a tip assembly removablycoupled to said second end of said image transmitting device, said tipassembly further including a reflective device and an image receivingaperture, the tip assembly configured to transmit an image of saidsolder connections received by said reflective device, through saidimage transmitting device, to said image receiving unit; and anillumination device including at least one light emitting aperturedisposed adjacent said image receiving aperture, said light emittingaperture directed towards said solder connections to be inspected. 2.The device according to claim 1, wherein the image receiving unitcomprises a camera.
 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein theimage transmitting device includes a generally cylindrical body having aplurality of lenses disposed therein.
 4. The device according to claim1, wherein the image receiving unit includes a lens assembly coupledthereto, said lens assembly capable of increasing or decreasingmagnification of said image to be received therein.
 5. The deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said illumination device includes lightsource and a device for transmitting light from the light source to thelight emitting aperture.
 6. The device according to claim 1, whereinsaid image receiving unit is disposed within a housing, said housingpivotally attached to a frame.
 7. The device according to claim 6,wherein a pivot point of rotation of said housing is the opticalcenterline of said mirror disposed within the tip assembly.
 8. Thedevice according to claim 7, wherein said image transmitting device andsaid tip assembly are rotatable about an axis perpendicular to saidsubstrate.
 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said aperturefilters the image to be transmitted prior to transmission of the imageby the image transmitting device.
 10. The device according to claim 1,further including a display device coupled to said image receiving unit,the display device configured to display the solder connections to beinspected.
 11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said tipassembly further includes an illumination aperture disposed on eitherside of said image receiving aperture, wherein said illuminationapertures direct light onto said solder connections to be inspected. 12.The device according to claim 6, wherein said angle of pivot is betweenabout 0 and about 5 degrees.
 13. The device according to claim 1,further including a back lighting assembly, the back lighting includingan illumination source, a lens assembly, and a flexible arm coupledthereto.
 14. The device according to claim 5, wherein said device fortransmitting light is a fiber optic device.
 15. The device according toclaim 1, wherein the illumination device includes a light emitting diodedisposed within said light emitting aperture and a power source coupledto said light emitting diode.
 16. A device for optically inspectingsoldered connections, the device comprising: a camera; a imagetransmitting device, including a generally circular cross-sectionalprofile first end and a second end and a bore extending therethrough,said first end coupled to the camera, and a at least one imagetransmitting lens disposed within the bore; a tip assembly removablycoupled to said second end of said transmitting device, said tipassembly further including a mirror and an image receiving aperturedisposed adjacent to said mirror, said image receiving aperture and saidmirror configured to receive and transmit an image the solderedconnections to said camera through said image transmitting device; andat least one illumination device, the illumination device comprising alight source, a device for transmitting light from the light source to alight transmitting aperture disposed within said tip assembly, the lighttransmitting aperture disposed adjacent to the image receiving aperture.17. The device according to claim 16, further including a magnifyinglens disposed between the camera and the first end of the imagetransmitting device, the magnifying lens capable if magnifying the imageof the soldered connection.
 18. The device according to claim 16,wherein said camera, image transmitting device, and tip assembly arerotatably and pivotally coupled to a movable arm, the movable armcoupled to a frame, the frame including a work surface configured toreceive a circuit board to be inspected, the camera, image transmittingdevice and tip assembly being disposed generally perpendicular to saidwork surface.
 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the camera,image transmitting device, and tip assembly are pivotable between about−10 and about 10 degrees relative to an axis extending perpendicularfrom said work surface.
 20. The device according to claim 19, whereinthe camera, image transmitting device, and tip assembly may be rotatedabout said perpendicular axis.
 21. The device according to claim 20,further including a second illumination device, the second illuminationdevice comprising a flexible shaft extending from said arm and a tipassembly, the tip assembly including a light transmitting aperture,wherein a light transmitting device is connected at one end to a lightsource and at the other end to the light transmitting aperture, thesecond illumination device configured to move independent of saidcamera, image transmitting device, and said tip assembly.
 22. A methodof inspecting soldered connections between an IC and a circuit board,the method comprising: a disposing a circuit board having at least oneIC soldered thereto on a work surface of an inspection device; aligninga tip of the inspection device with a row of soldered connections to beinspected; illuminating the soldered connections to be inspected througha light emitting aperture disposed upon the tip of the inspectiondevice; visually examining the soldered connections between the IC andthe circuit board through an image receiving aperture disposed upon thetip of the inspection device; pivoting the tip assembly about an opticalcenterline of a reflective device disposed within the tip assembly toview the upper or lower solder connections; rotating said tip assemblythrough about 180 degrees to view the sides of the soldered connections;and visually inspecting the gaps formed between the soldered connectionsfor optical clarity.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein thestep of illuminating further comprises using a second illuminatingdevice to illuminate the soldered connections from a direction oppositeto the image receiving aperture.